The three wings were the faces of multiple basketball generations, inspiring millions with their storied careers. Only a couple of players in league history have somewhat comparable resumes to those of Bryant, James, and Jordan.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan NBA Career Stats and Accolades
Category
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Michael Jordan
Points per game
25.0
27.0
30.1
Assists per game
4.7
7.4
5.3
Rebounds per game
5.2
7.5
6.2
Steals per game
1.4
1.5
2.3
Blocks per game
0.5
0.7
0.8
Career accolades
1x NBA MVP, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 18x All-Star, 11x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-NBA Second Team, 2x All-NBA Third Team
4x NBA MVP, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 21x All-Star, 13x All-NBA First Team, 4x All-NBA Second Team, 4x All-NBA Third Team
5x NBA MVP, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 14x All-Star, 10x All-NBA First Team, 1x All-NBA Second Team
NBA titles
5
4
6
LeBron is the active player of the three icons and is remarkably heading into his 23rd year in the league with the L.A. Lakers. At 40 years old, James remains one of the best players in the world as he seeks to win a fifth NBA championship.
LeBron, however, has had his share of critics, with NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley being among his most notable ones. The legendary power forward recently gave an eye-opening take on how LeBron differs from both Michael and Kobe, which could be interpreted as a slight.
Charles Barkley revealed the difference between Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan
In an interview with Rowan University, Charles Barkley broke down how LeBron’s competitive nature contrasts with that of Michael and Kobe. In particular, Barkley noted how the two shooting guards brought a ruthless style of play that triggered fear from opponents.
“I love LeBron. I’ll tell you, LeBron is a really, really nice man and a great player. The difference between Michael, Kobe, and LeBron is: Those two guys will kill your a**. That doesn’t make one way right or wrong, Michael and Kobe, them dudes, they were dangerous. They’re going to win obsessively. They don’t care about you or your feelings. And LeBron, he’s a great, great player, but I think he’s a nice guy. I don’t think many people walk around in our generation, saying, ‘Man, those Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are nice guys.’ Those words were never spoken.”
LeBron’s approach has helped mold him into one of the clutchest players in NBA history
Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Barkley’s take is a somewhat familiar one from ex-players about LeBron never generating the same fear from his opponents as Kobe or Michael did. That being said, James’ competitive spirit and ability to hit clutch shots should never come into question.
LeBron has played his best basketball in some of the most tense games in NBA history, most notably during the 2016 NBA Finals, where he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever championship.
Overall, Barkley does not necessarily seem to be slighting James in this take. Instead, he is simply breaking down how different approaches to the game can still yield phenomenal results.
Charles also comes from an old-school era where the players were less friendly with one another, looking to gain whatever competitive edge they could.
Whereas, in today’s era of social media, players are as connected as ever and frequently switch teams, thereby decreasing tribalism. LeBron James is friends with this generation’s other great players, such as Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
Going away from Barkley’s comments, James is in some unprecedented territory with his current level. And because of his form, the Los Angeles Lakers are entering the season expecting to contend in a loaded Western Conference.
It has been a summer of upheaval for Newcastle United so far and things are only going to get worse as news emerged on Thursday morning that manager Eddie Howe would be leaving the club.
Howe was under pressure for vast swathes of the 2025/26 season, with Newcastle finishing 12th in the Premier League. And now the Englishman is departing St James’ Park.
Both the manager and the club initially agreed they would continue together this season, but Howe has decided it is time to move on and has informed Newcastle that he will step down.
The Magpies have not wasted nay time lining up a successor though, with Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli, set to be named as his replacement.
Chelsea haven’t qualified for European football’s premier club cup competition, but there’s a chance that Stamford Bridge will still host Champions League football this season.
The Blues finished the 2025-26 Premier League campaign in 10th place, meaning they will not be competing in any of UEFA’s three European competitions this term.
Brighton took the final European spot after finishing 8th, but they still need to qualify in order to reach the Europa Conference League group stages.
Ninth-placed Brentford and 10th-placed Chelsea narrowly missed out on European competition. It was a particularly bitter blow for Chelsea, winners of the Europa League in 2019, Champions League in 2021 and Conference League in 2025.
However, the west London outfit can now focus on domestic competitions this season under the management of their new head coach Xabi Alonso, ranked as one world football’s top 20 managers, who is in the process of transforming the Blues’ squad.
Morgan Rogers became the most expensive player in British football history after joining from Aston Villa in a deal worth £117 million, while veteran England internationals Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck are both poised to arrive.
Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Although Chelsea will not be in this season’s Champions League, Stamford Bridge could still end up hosting a series of matches.
That’s because UEFA have prohibited Shakhtar Donetsk from hosting European fixtures in war-torn Ukraine for safety reasons.
Shakhtar, winners of Ukraine’s Premier League for a 16th time, are subsequently seeking a venue for their Champions League fixtures – and Stamford Bridge is one of the options, per The Standard.
REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
“Shakhtar is currently negotiating with several venues in the United Kingdom and Germany in order to secure a host stadium for its UEFA Champions League matches next season,” an official spokesperson for Shakhtar said. “We will not comment on the process until a decision is announced in the near future.”
Shakhtar, currently managed by former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona star Arda Turan, will enter the Champions League when the league phase begins on September 8.
Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium and Fulham’s Craven Cottage are also among the London-based stadiums that could be an option for Shakhtar on Champions League nights.
Shakhtar’s 2024-25 Champions League matches were hosted at Schalke’s Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
But there’s a chance that Stamford Bridge will be the Ukrainian outfit’s ‘home’ stadium this season.
The first European nation has shown support to Gianni Infantino over his hugely-controversial FIFA World Cup stakeholder plan.
The football world has been rocked by FIFA and Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup. Infantino, who has served as FIFA president since 2016, is reportedly eyeing a ‘£15 billion sell-off’ to private investors.
In exchange for allowing private investors the opportunity to pay billions for involvement in the planning of future World Cups, Infantino is offering each of FIFA’s 211 member associations the chance to make £15 million ($20 million) instantly if they vote through his plans. A further £50 million ($66 million) will then be given to each association before 2038.
A deadline of September 19 has been set for the 211 member associations to decide if they want to accept the deal.
UEFA accused Infantino of “crossing a line” in a statement released after the plans were revealed by The Times.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” the statement read. “UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
UEFA Member Nation Supports Infantino’s World Cup Proposal
REUTERS/Paul Childs
UEFA, led by its President Aleksander Ceferin, will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday involving all of its 55 member associations.
However, one European nation has rocked the boat by saying it is broadly in agreement with Infantino’s proposals.
The president of Czech Republic’s football association, David Trunda, believes the £15 billion ($20 billion) plot would provide valuable additional funding for grassroots football and infrastructure development in the country.
“I can see the pragmatic benefits for Czech football from working in close co-operation with [FIFA president] Gianni Infantino and his team,” Mr Trunda told Sky News.
“Of course we need more details, but my personal point of view is that I can see the positive impact of FIFA’s intentions.”
Despite being an outlier among UEFA’s member nations, Mr Trunda maintains that European football’s governing body remains “a very important partner”.
He added: “I was elected a little more than a year ago, and for me personally all the projects I have experienced in cooperation with FIFA have been very positive for the development of European football.”
CAF President Also Supports Infantino’s Plan
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Meanwhile, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has also thrown his support behind Infantino’s plan.
“We took a decision, and I personally support Gianni Infantino,” Motsepe told reporters, per ESPN.
“He’s not just a good friend. He’s a loyal friend. He’s loyal to Africa.
“I come from a background where when people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back. You never do that.”
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However, the English FA have expressed “deep concern” about the situation, with a spokeswoman commenting: “We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is, and what conditions are attached.
“Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.
“When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by Fifa, we will make our views clear, and comment further.”
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